The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-09-03
came serious question into whose
hands we should commit ourselves.

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hands we should commit ourselves.
From this point on, the preachers
aim was to show the completeness of
life as seen and taught in Christianity
applied and made the rule of life. Dis
cussing the material environment Of
the present age, DIR. Rexford said that
the temptation Of the devil was not
that of an individual, but Of material
gain. It was an appeal to personal in
terest in life. When God created the
human being he added him to the ma
terial universe. In the same way re-
ligion came; and we had accustomed
ourselves to be placed under the guild
ance of Christianity. We asked what
Christianity could do for usp
In the Interpretation which Christ
ianity proposed to give to human life it
had the right to ask what man was,
what were his capabilities, and what
evidence had he of perpetual sense of
good. The human being was originally
related to the economy Of God. It had
been said that If there was any religion
in life it was miraculous thing. This
was one extreme estimate which had
been put upon it. He would rather say
that every human being, or every man,
was possessed of vast powers, and that
every element in his constitutional en-
dowment was right; that every posi-
bility in mans nature was right; that
every power which was capable OF exer-
ton was right. The only way to obtain
an idea of the evil there was in a wrong
thing was by the wrong use of right
thing. We did not blame beings of the
lower order that acted after the in
stincts that governed them. Discord
was produced by the wrong use of
right thing. In mans life it was occa-
stoned by a perversion of mans faculty.
Christianity recognized the integrity
and sanctity of the powers God gave
us and then cultivated them. The
hand was made to clutch, to hold. A
healthy man who was an idler was one
of the most miserable and most useless.
On the contrary, in the men who drove
business we found happy men. The
genius who could invent some plan to
keep all busy would be the greatest
blessing to humanity. Man had divine
right to relationship with material
things. If it was well founded, there
was great deal of religion in it. If
i'll founded it was extremely the oppo-
site.
Physical laws were made to be OBJ
served. Whenever we abused them,
we suffered. They were laws which
were made to be kept. A quaint friend
had once said he had been fighting these
laws fifty years and had been whipped
every time. God made this world for
righteousness, and there would be no
compromise between right and wrong.
1t was all right or all wrong, and would
prove to be complete vindication of
that which was right. There was an
intellectual life in the human being. It
was the highest life of good in conso-
nance with the clearest perception.
There was a science of the spirit as
much as of the physical world. That
d definition of science was to be deplored
which fingered only in materialism.
We were disposed to look at the feet of
clay, the body of brass, and the head of
gold when there was diamond shining
over all. Christianity reigned over the
entire field of life. 1t omitted nothing,
and was therefore glorious in the form
of thought. Progress in the thought of
God went through the ages.
From this on the preacher looked at
life under series of word pictures. Even
the laborer lives life that is more than
material. Follow him home and you will
| find him an intellectual. moral and spirit
ual being. He has a wife, and children
chat he loves; he labors for them daily;
he has books and pictures in his home;
he goes to church, etc. These all were
parts of human nature. We must destroy
human nature before we could destroy
home. Home was the giving of one heart
to one heart, and was not the Utah idea.
There never was heart large enough to
divide. A bachelor is breach of nature.
Think of his early decision to remain q
bachelor! 1t was contrary to nature.
Boarding around was demoralizing.
Homes were the redeeming features of
life. Christianity existed in response to
the religious instincts of man. If we
we're to destroy them we could not pre-
serve the homes or churches. Thee most
natural man was the most nationally reli-
gious. A profane man was not natural.
Jesus Of Nazareth was the most natural
man ever upon earth, and Judas was the
most unnatural. A kind son was natural,
while an unkind son perverted nature.
The sacred communion of the home both
elevated and purified. The church also
should have its place in mans life. One
good sermon day was enough, and two
poor ones too much. With one good SER
mon man was lifted up and could go
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